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PROVEN 4-STEP PROCESS

As a property manager, cleaning costs are one of your largest expense items. Do you really know if you are getting the best value? While most facility managers regularly bid out services, they rarely capture the full savings.

Obtaining the “right” cleaning cost takes time, industry specific-knowledge, and a strong understanding of the project requirements. You can choose any part or all of AICS’s proven 4-step process.

1. SET YOUR OBJECTIVES

What would you like to accomplish? For most of our clients, the answer is usually better pricing, better quality or a combination of both. The bottom line is determining whether your janitorial contractor(s) is delivering the performance that you are paying for and then deciding how to capture the value.

2. ESTABLISH THE BASELINE

Our team of cleaning consultants can help you determine the extent of the opportunity by asking the right questions and applying our cleaning cost metrics to benchmark your program against the industry’s most efficient firms.

  • Specification Review: Your cleaning specifications drive your cost. We’ll show you how to build a specification that achieves all of your objectives. Then we will model it for you so that you have a crystal clear understanding of what your cleaning costs will be.
  • Janitorial Cost & Performance Benchmarking: Compare your costs and performance to the best in class and your peer group. Using the analysis, you will be able to develop strategies to close gaps.
  • Consumable Cost Analysis: Whether they are built into your service cost or you pay for them directly, products like paper towels, toilet tissue, and can liners are a significant cost. We’ll take a look your costs and identify opportunities.
  • Sustainability: Green cleaning is now part of the fabric of the cleaning industry, and the focus is moving beyond green cleaning to sustainability. Whether you are just getting started or see an opportunity to build your current program, AICS has the experience and expertise to get you to the next level. We conduct LEED audits and were the lead authors of the CIMS-GB green quality standard that is recognized by LEED as satisfying the cleaning policy prerequisite.
  • Day Cleaning: Day cleaning promises to reduce turnover, decrease energy costs, improve security, and provide more consistent results. At the same time, implementation of day cleaning presents numerous challenges and it is not appropriate in every building. We can help you determine whether day cleaning is right for you.

3. REALIZE THE OPPORTUNITY

In some cases, we can negotiate with your cleaning contractor. In others, you will find it beneficial to test the market. Both approaches are effective, and we’ll use the one that is best suited for your objectives. If going to market is the preferred approach, the use of a tailored RFP is essential to gaining control over the selection process.

AICS can assist you with the following support:

  • Janitorial Specification/Scope of Work Design: Customizing an RFP to your facility can make the difference between receiving pertinent and meaningful submittals versus those that contain a lot of marketing babble.
  • Pre-Qualification of Contractors: Identifying which contractors have a record of accomplishment and are well-suited to your facility is essential to success. We know what to look for, what to ask, and when there is a “red flag”.
  • Bid Package Preparation & Support: AICS facilitates the bid process by communicating project scope and requirements, coordinating site visits, answering RFP questions, and facilitating follow-up presentations. We will also encourage bidders to submit additional approaches that can reduce costs or improve service.
  • Review: Once proposals come back, we’ll thoroughly review pricing, service, and compliance through the lens of your requirements. You’ll receive a comparison of the submittals that you can use to make the best business decision based on an “apples to apples” comparison.


4. STAY ON TRACK QUALITY ASSURANCE

How do you define quality, measure and manage service? At AICS, we help our clients deliver Quality Under Every Situation and Task. QUEST™ is an objective quality program designed around each client’s unique requirements.

  • Independent Third-Party Janitorial Quality Assurance: Many of our clients find that independent third-party inspections provide unsurpassed objectivity and are contract management tools.
  • Quality Assurance Validation: If you already have a program but would like to validate the service levels, we can help by providing periodic third-party audits.